Gold Experience B2 Exam Practice - pearson.com.au

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CONTENTSExam Overview 4

Practice Test 1 6

Reading and Use of English 6Writing Listening 21Speaking 26

Practice Test 2 30

Reading and Use of English 30Writing 40Listening 42Speaking 46

Visuals Bank 48

Test 1 48Test 2 51

Speaking and Writing Banks 54

Speaking bank 54Writing bank 5

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GUIDANCE: READING AND USE OF ENGLISH

The Reading and Use of English paper lasts for one hour and 15 minutes. There are seven parts and a total of 52 questions. You have to read texts of different lengths, for example extracts from newspapers, magazines, websites and novels, as well as other short texts. The paper tests your knowledge of vocabulary and grammar and your ability to read and understand different types of text.

Part 1: Multiple-choice clozeIn Part 1, you read a short text and answer eight multiple-choice questions. There are eight gaps in the text and you have to choose a word or phrase from a choice of four. You choose the word or phrase which best fits each gap.

Part 2: Open clozeIn Part 2, you read a short text and answer eight open-cloze questions. There are eight gaps in the text. You have to fill each gap with the word that’s missing.

Part 3: Word formationIn Part 3, you read a short text and answer eight word-formation questions. There are eight gaps in the text and you’re given the base form of each missing word. You have to change each word so that it makes sense in the gap.

Part 4: Key-word transformationIn Part 4, you read six pairs of sentences and answer key-word transformation questions. The pairs of sentences have the same meaning, but are expressed in different ways. There’s a gap in the second sentence, which you have to fill with between two and five words. You’re given one of these words.

Part 1• Read the text, ignoring the gaps, to get a general understanding.• Only one of the options (A–D) fits the gap.• Check the words before and after the gap, for example some

words can only be followed by one preposition, or may be part of a common expression.

• In some questions, the answers are linking words and you need to understand the meaning of the whole text to know which answer is correct in the context.

• If you’re not sure which answer to choose, decide which options are clearly wrong. Then look carefully at the ones that are left. If you’re still not sure, you should guess. You don’t lose marks for wrong answers, and your guess may be right.

• When you’ve finished, read the whole text again and check that it makes complete sense with your answers in the gaps.

Part 2• Read the text, ignoring the gaps, to get a general understanding.• Think about the missing words. You need to put one word in

each gap and it’s usually a grammatical word, e.g. pronoun, linker, preposition, etc.

• Before you fill each gap, read the sentence carefully and think about the type of word that’s missing, for example it may be linking two ideas, or be part of a common expression.

• When you’ve finished, read the whole text again and check that it makes complete sense with your answers in the gaps.

Part 3• Read the text, ignoring the gaps, to get a general understanding.• Think about the missing words. You only need to put one word

in each gap and the base form of that word is written in capital letters at the end of the line.

• Before you fill each gap, read the sentence carefully and think about the type of word that’s missing, for example is it a noun, an adjective, an adverb, etc.?

Change the word you’ve been given so that it fits the gap. You often need to add prefixes and suffixes.• Check to see if nouns should be singular or plural.• Check that you’ve spelled each new word correctly.• When you’ve finished, read the whole text again and check that it

makes complete sense with your answers in the gaps.

Part 4• Read the first sentence carefully to make sure you understand

exactly what it means. • Look at the key word. What type of word is it? What usually

follows it, for example an infinitive, a preposition, etc.? Could it be part of a fixed expression or a phrasal verb?

• Remember you can’t change the key word in any way.• Now read the second sentence carefully. This sentence often has

the same information as the first sentence, but expressed in a different order. Think about how the words need to change in the new order, e.g. an adjective may become a noun or vice versa.

• You can include words and phrases in your answer that aren’t in the first sentence, but the meaning of the two sentences must be exactly the same.

• Check that your answer has between two and five words. Remember that contracted words count as two words, e.g. won't = will not.

• Check that the two sentences have exactly the same meaning with your answer in the gap.

How to do the paper

About the paper

GUIDANCE READING AND USE OF ENGLISH READING AND USE OF ENGLISH GUIDANCE

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Part 5: Multiple-choiceIn Part 5, you read one long text and answer six multiple-choice questions. There are four options in each question. The questions follow the order of information in the text.

Part 6: Gapped textIn Part 6, you read one long text from which six sentences have been removed. You can see these sentences in jumbled order, after the text. There is also an extra sentence that doesn’t fit into any of the gaps. You have to use your knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, referencing and text structure to decide which sentence fits in each gap.

Part 7: Multiple matchingIn Part 7, you read either one long text divided into sections, or a series of short texts on the same topic. There are ten questions, which report the information and ideas from the text(s). You have to match each question to the correct text or section of text.

Part 5• Read the title and the text quickly to get a general understanding

of what it's about and how it's organised.• Read through the questions and underline key words.• Find the section of text where the question is answered and read it

carefully, underlining key words and phrases.• Some questions test your knowledge of vocabulary or reference

skills, and these tell you on which line the targeted word or phrase can be found. Read the sentences before and after the one including this word or phrase to find the answer.

• For all questions, read the four options (A–D) and choose the one that is closest to your own understanding of the text. Look for the same meaning expressed in different ways.

• Check that the other options are all clearly wrong. If you’re still unsure, read the text again very carefully and look for reasons why some of the options are wrong.

Part 6• Read the base text first, ignoring the gaps, to get a general

understanding of what it's about and how it's organised.• Then, read the text around each gap and think about what type of

information might be missing.• Read sentences A–G. Check for topic and language links with

the base text. Highlight reference words and words that relate to people, places, events and any time references. This helps you to follow the development of the argument or narrative.

• Choose the best option to fit each gap. Make sure that all the pronouns and vocabulary references are clear.

• Once you’ve finished, re-read the whole text to be sure that it makes complete sense with your answers in the gaps.

Part 7• In Part 7, you don’t need to read the whole text first because you

don’t need to understand all the information in order to answer the questions.

• Read the questions (43–52) first, underlining key words and ideas.• Read through the text(s) quickly and find information or ideas

relevant to each question.• For each question, read the relevant piece of text carefully to make

sure it completely matches the meaning of the question.• You’ll probably find references to the ideas in the questions in

more than one section of the text, but only one section matches the idea exactly. You need to read all these sections carefully to find the exact match.

How to do the paper

About the paper

GUIDANCE READING AND USE OF ENGLISH READING AND USE OF ENGLISH GUIDANCE

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Part 1

TIP STRIPQuestion 3: Look at the word after the gap – it helps you to choose the answer.

Question 4: Which of these words tells you there were lots of different species?

Question 5: Which word completes the common expression with ‘basis’?

Question 8: Only one of these words can be followed by the preposition ‘to’.

For questions 1 – 8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

In the exam, you mark your answers on a separate answer sheet.

Example:0 A fairly B greatly C nearly D fully

0 A B C D

A Wildlife GardenI live in a (0) ........... typical suburban area in England. Although our house has a large

garden, it’s surrounded by lots of other houses, so couldn’t be (1) ........... as rural. As

a family, we’ve always managed the garden in (2) ........... that encourage wildlife. My

parents are careful to plant only native local trees and bushes, and not those imported

from elsewhere. Meanwhile, I’ve created what’s (3) ........... as a feeding station for the

local birds. As a result, quite a (4) ........... selection of species visits our garden on a

(5) ........... basis.

My favourite species is the tawny owl. We �rst became (6) ........... of them when we were

woken up at night by their calls, which sounded surprisingly loud. Eventually, we realised

they were sitting on the chimney, which (7) ........... the noise to echo through the whole

house. Some people might �nd that spooky, but for me it was exciting. I went online and

discovered how to make our garden (8) ........... to these beautiful birds. They’ve been

coming back ever since.

1 A explained B described C expressed D declared

2 A manners B forms C methods D ways

3 A named B known C entitled D called

4 A wide B deep C high D strong

5 A usual B regular C normal D common

6 A introduced B familiar C acquainted D aware

7 A made B resulted C caused D produced

8 A attractive B charming C pleasant D enjoyable

TEST 1 READING AND USE OF ENGLISH READING AND USE OF ENGLISH TEST 1

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Part 2

Question 10: Which preposition completes the phrasal verb meaning ‘invented’?

Question 11: You need a relative pronoun here.

Question 12: Which modal verb comes after ‘wasn’t sure if ’’?

Question 15: Which pronoun completes the idiomatic expression?

TIP STRIP

For questions 9 – 16, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

In the exam, you write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on a separate answer sheet.

Example: 0 A S

Over the RainbowOver the Rainbow is often regarded (0) ........... one of the greatest popular songs of all time.

It was originally written for the film The Wizard of Oz in 1938, in (9) ........... it was sung by

the film’s teenage star, Judy Garland.

Apparently, the songwriter Harold Arlen came up (10) ........... the melody in his car one

day, (11) ........... he was parked outside a pharmacy in Hollywood. At first, his writing

partner, the lyricist Edgar Harburg, found it a bit too sentimental and wasn’t sure if it

(12) ........... work. Eventually, Arlen convinced him to write the famous lyrics and the song

was accepted for the film.

Even then, not everybody realised (13) ........... a big hit it would be. At (14) ........... point, the

producer suggested cutting it from the film because it slowed down the action too much.

Fortunately he changed (15) ........... mind and was soon proved wrong. The song not

(16) ........... won an Oscar, but has since been recorded by many of the world’s top singers.


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Part 3

TIP STRIPQuestion 17: You need to add a suffix to this word to create a noun.

Question 21: Read the paragraph to check whether you need to create a positive or a negative word here.

Question 23: Read the sentence to check whether you need a singular or a plural word here.

Question 24: You need to add a prefix to this word to create an adjective.

For questions 17 – 24, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).

In the exam, you have to write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on a separate answer sheet.

Example: 0 E S P E C I A L L Y

The History of Ice-hockey

Ice-hockey is a team sport that is (0) ........... popular in North America and

Europe. Games where players hit a ball with sticks in an attempt to score

goals have been in (17) ........... for thousands of years. Clearly, playing

such games on (18) ........... rivers and lakes was an option in places that

became covered in snow in the depths of winter. But (19) ...........

when this first happened remains a mystery.

The development of the modern game of ice-hockey dates back to the

mid-nineteenth century, when the rules of field hockey were adapted for

use on ice in Canada. One new feature of ice-hockey was the (20) ...........

of the ball with a flat piece of wood or rubber called a puck. (21) ........... a

round ball, this had a (22) ........... to stay on the ice when hit with the stick,

and so led to fewer (23) ........... amongst the players.

The first organised (24) ........... game of ice-hockey was held in an ice-rink

in Montreal in 1875. This marks the beginning of the modern sport.

SPECIAL

EXIST

FREEZE

PRECISE

REPLACE

LIKE

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Part 4

Question 25: You need a phrase that uses ‘hope’ as a noun.

Question 26: ‘allowed’ is followed by the infinitive with ‘to’.

Question 28: You need to create a phrasal verb with ‘run’ that means ‘have none left’.

Question 30: You need a past perfect tense after ‘wished'.

TIP STRIP

For questions 25 – 30, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given. Here is an example (0).

Example:

0 What type of music do you like best?

FAVOURITE

What ............................................... type of music?

The gap can be filled with the words ‘is your favourite’, so you write:

Example: 0 IS YOUR FAVOURITE

In the exam, you write only the missing words IN CAPITAL LETTERS on a separate answer sheet.

25 Barry signed up for the course because he wanted to learn more about statistics.

HOPE

Barry signed up for the course ............................................... more about statistics.

26 You have to leave your bags outside when you go into the museum.

ALLOWED

You ............................................... your bags into the museum.

27 Simon only bought that laptop because his friend recommended it.

HAVE

Simon ............................................... that laptop if his friend hadn’t recommended it.

28 Susie couldn’t take a taxi home because she’d spent all her money.

RUN

Susie couldn’t take a taxi home because ............................................... money.

29 Brian has never been for a ride on a motorbike before.

TIME

It’s the ............................................... ridden on a motorbike.

30 Fiona regretted losing her temper during the meeting.

WISHED

Fiona ............................................... lost her temper during the meeting.


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Part 5

According to some food historians, the pancake was one of the �rst cereal-based foods that pre-historic humans ever cooked. Basically, a pancake is a �at cake made from a ‘batter’ mixture of �our, milk and butter, which is cooked on a hot �at surface, such as a frying pan or hotplate. Pancake recipes vary around the world, but in the US they’re a breakfast favourite, often served with a sweet sauce. A particular feature of the US pancake mixture is that it’s possible to mould it into recognisable shapes as you cook it.

I began making pancake art for my kids in 2011. I used to be a high-school maths teacher. But in 2011 my family moved to Saipan in the Mariana Islands for a year so that my wife could get experience as a nurse midwife – I found myself in charge of the kids for the �rst time. Gryphon was three and Alice was one, and the pancakes just came about as something fun to do. They were well received, although the audience wasn’t very picky.

We usually make the pancakes every weekend. It’s sort of a tradition now. When my family moved to Washington two years ago, we made pancakes that resembled local wildlife, like trees, mushrooms and wild�owers. When I began, I used a spoon to drip on the batter. Now I use a squeezy condiment bottle – it’s my secret weapon. A good non-stick pan is also pretty important. I love mine. To make the pancakes, I draw the picture with the batter straight on to the pan. I came across the idea of adding shading somewhat by chance. I found that the part of the shape you put in the pan �rst, tended to come out darker. This meant it was possible to do 3D e�ects and portraits as well as shapes, starting with the shadows and then �lling in the highlights. You can’t hang about though. If you take too long, it’ll all turn the same shade of golden brown.

line 31

You are going to read an article about a type of food called pancakes. For questions 31 – 36, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.


I started out with child-friendly images like trucks and jungle animals and, after exhausting those, I moved into topics that I found interesting. I’ve done butter�ies and nudibranchs, a weird group of sea creatures that breathe through the frilly structures on their back. Natural forms are my favourite to do, since they’re easier to get on the �rst shot. Portraits are de�nitely the most di�cult. I’ve tried making a lot of mathematicians and scientists, just for my own entertainment. I’ve done Newton, Kepler, Einstein, Darwin and others. I’m still not con�dent that when I �ip one over it’s going to look like what I’ve planned. But it’s just a matter of practice. Often I’ll end up with a plate full of misshapen faces before I get the likeness I’m trying for. But they all seem to get eaten.

The latest thing I’ve tried is a pendulum above the frying pan – it drops the batter and makes a geometric pattern. The kids don’t know about that yet. I’ve probably made about a thousand pancakes so far. I’ve posted them on my blog, and it’s nice to have feedback. Eventually I’d like to get a how-to manual published, but I may have to wait until I have a few more pancakes under my belt before I do that.

Pancake Art


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Question 31: The answer is in the first paragraph. Read the third sentence to find it.

Question 33: The piece of text before the phrase ‘it’s my secret weapon’ contains the answer.

Question 34: Look for the answer before the word in the text.

TIP STRIP

31 From the first paragraph, we learn that pancakes

A were the first thing that early humans learnt to cook. B have become more popular in the US in recent years. C are the subject of disagreements amongst food historians. D tend to be made in slightly different ways across cultures.

32 Why did the writer first start making pancakes?

A He wanted to entertain his children. B He hoped it would impress his wife. C He needed something to fill his time. D He was looking for a change of career.

33 Since moving to Washington, the writer has discovered

A a better recipe for making pancakes. B how to make use of local ingredients. C how to stop people copying his ideas. D a useful tool to help in his pancake making.

34 What does the word ‘this’ in line 31 refer to?

A creating a 3D effect on a pancake B a way of varying the colour of pancakes C the type of pan used in making pancakes D drawing a picture before cooking a pancake

35 In the fourth paragraph, the writer suggests that his attempts at pancake portraits

A rarely look like the real person. B aren’t worth all the effort involved. C result in too much good food going to waste. D prove less popular with his family than animal shapes.

36 In the future, the writer plans to

A build a machine for making pancake art. B get in touch with other pancake makers online. C write a book for people interested in taking up pancake art D encourage children to have a go at making artistic pancakes.


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Part 6

You are going to read an article about the actors who work on scary attractions at theme parks. Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A – G the one which fits each gap (37 – 42). There is one extra sentence you do not need to use.


My cousins introduced me to horror movies as a teenager. For some reason, I loved them, even if I had to run upstairs and turn the lights on for fear that the alien or the vampire was going to come and get me. I loved that feeling of being scared but in a safe way. It was that thrill of ‘what if’ that was very exciting.

When I left school, I ended up going to drama school, where my love of all things connected to horror movies continued. Like a lot of my friends there, I was fascinated by the ones from the last century. Before the days of computer generated imagery (CGI), these were mostly �lmed as live-action performances.

37 Basically, directors didn’t always know how they were going to get a particular effect and had to be very inventive.

Despite this long-standing interest, I didn’t plan on getting into the scare-acting industry. I was just a penniless out-of-work actor when I saw an advert for a job at a theme park. They were organising an event called a Scarefest, where actors would dress up as characters from horror movies and walk amongst the crowd. 38 I applied and got a job working on an attraction called The Field of a Thousand Screams.

This was something called a horror maze. What that means is, having bought a ticket, visitors walk through the attraction. This is generally badly lit so they can’t really see where they’re going. 39 Eventually, they come across actors who are playing the parts of characters from horror �lms. It’s more frightening than watching a movie – it’s an assault on your senses.

I played a character called Joe. His job was to talk to visitors as they entered the attraction and warn them that something strange was happening and that they needed to take care. 40 It was all part of building up the suspense. I’d tell them that they needed to get to a farmhouse, where they’d be safe. Of course, in order to get there, they’d have to pass many other scary things that suddenly leapt out at them. And, of course, on arrival, the house itself was jam-packed full of frightening things. I worked at the theme park every year for three years during their Scarefests, until I left to become a performance manager at a company specialising in such events.

The most important thing I’ve learnt in my career is that there is no one thing that scares everybody. Some people are most affected by the impact scare, like a sudden sharp shock. Others are more freaked out by slower-paced, psychological scares, like the feeling that you’re being followed. Of course, faced with a scary experience, some visitors just laugh.

41 But they soon come to realise that it’s just another natural reaction to feeling frightened.

We teach our actors to play with those reactions and use them to maximise everyone’s enjoyment of the scary experience, because that’s what these people have paid for. 42 The actors learn to recognise the visitors’ body language and predict who in the audience will be affected the most by any particular trick. Because, like me as a kid, the visitors get a lot of fun out of feeling scared when they know it’s not for real.

Fear can be Fun I train the actors who work on the scary attractions at theme parks


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A Along the way, they encounter noises and smells that make them feel even more uncomfortable.

B Despite this, they are all equally scared by these reactions to some extent.

C Inexperienced actors can sometimes find that kind of response unnerving.

D It sounded just like my sort of thing, so I jumped at the chance.

Question 37: Look for the option that talks about watching these old films.

Question 38: The text before the gap talks about a particular job and what it will involve. The text after the gap talks about applying for the job. There are words in the option that describe taking an opportunity.

Question 40: Look for the option that talks about how something was said.

Question 41: Look for the option that contains a phrase that refers to people laughing at something.

TIP STRIP

E If you watch them carefully, you can see evidence of an impressive level of acting skill.

F This all had to be delivered in a scary kind of way.

G That’s why it’s not enough to just stand behind a door and say ‘boo’ or ‘argh’.


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Part 7

TIP STRIPQuestion 43: Look at the texts and underline all the places where education and studying are mentioned. Then read these carefully to see which section contains this point.

Question 45: Look for a word which means something happened over a period of time. It should be close to a section about the development of skills.

Question 50: The sections all talk about making things, but only one has a word which means an exact copy.

Question 52: Sections A and C both talk about his source of raw materials. But in which of them is a negative point made?

You are going to read a magazine article written by a teenager who made a robot from recycled materials. For questions 43 – 52, choose from the sections (A – D). The sections may be chosen more than once.


In which section does the writer mention

being able to contribute to the cost of his education?

an emotional reaction to an opportunity he’s taken up?

how he managed to develop key skills over time?

understanding why some people tried to dissuade him from making robots?

having something in common with a fictional character?

his gratitude to someone who inspired him?

having some sympathy for people who don’t share his environmental ideas?

making an exact copy of something he had seen?

optimism regarding his future prospects?

a disadvantage of his source of raw materials?

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Gold Experience B2 Exam Practice - pearson.com.au